Reaction to President Obama’s speech at the memorial service in Arizona on Wednesday night has been almost uniformly positive, even from some of his sharpest critics.
Some conservative bloggers took shots at Mr. Obama, saying the event — at a basketball arena with thousands of college students in the crowd — came off more like a pep rally than a memorial service.
But aside from that, most of the conversation on cable television, Web sites and Twitter has been about Mr. Obama getting the tone right.
Here is a sampling of the reaction:
Glenn Beck, Fox News host: He praised Mr. Obama for condemning a rush to judgment about the causes of the shooting, saying: “Last night, the president said what he should have said on Saturday. A leader says that on Day 1. But it is truly better late than never. This is probably the best speech he has ever given, and with all sincerity, thank you Mr. President, for becoming the president of the United States of America last night.
Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post columnist, on Fox News: He called it a “remarkable display of oratory and of oratorical skill, both in terms of the tone and the content.” He added: “You could only conclude that he did exactly what he had to do in a difficult environment.”
Pat Buchanan, former Republican speechwriter, on MSNBC: “I thought it was splendid.”
Eugene Robinson, Washington Post columnist: “His speech at the memorial service for the victims of Saturday’s massacre seemed not to come from a speechwriter’s pen, but from the heart.”
Marc Thiessen, former George Bush speechwriter, in The Washington Post: He credited the president for taking on the civility debate directly. “This was unexpected. It was courageous. It was genuine. And the president deserves credit for saying it.”
Jim Geraghty of the National Review, on Twitter: “Obama has never been more presidential than he was tonight.”
John Weaver, former political adviser to Senator John McCain of Arizona, on Facebook: “The president had exactly the right tone and was pitch-perfect for the nation last night. And, when juxtaposed against … well, you know who … ahem.”
Mark Salter, the former speechwriter and senior adviser for Mr. McCain, in an e-mail: “It was excellent in tone, message and delivery.”
Joe Scarborough, MSNBC host and former Republican member of Congress: “If the slings and arrows come today, and they will, it will only serve to diminish” those who criticize the president.
Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, on ABC’s “Good Morning America”: “I thought it was excellent. I thought he did exactly what a leader should do at a moment like this.”
Techno, a reader, on Conservatives4Palin.com: “There is no way in getting around it: Obama is coarse and crude and has no class. He is a lout. Why everyone misses it is because he is considered an elitist and urbane. He’s like a dance student that signs up for dance lessons and can’t help himself from stepping on the toes of the instructor every second step.”
John Podhoretz, columnist for The New York Post: “If there is one thing we expect from occasions of national mourning, it is, at the very least, a modicum of gravity. That gravity was present in the president’s speech from first to last — especially in the pitch-perfect response to the disgusting national political debate over the past couple of days.”
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